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Thursday, March 5, 2009

Beth and I are knitting items to donate. We are making preemie hats, chemo hats, and military helmet liners. Julie, the owner of Julie's Ranch House on 350 South, purchased and donated 6 skeins of Baby Bee Sweet Delight Wrap Babybell yarn to the cause. I think I can get at least 10 preemie hats from each skein. WAY TO GO JULIE! THANK YOU! I sat in Julie's Ranch House two afternoons this week, knitting away.

I worked on throwing cylinders on the wheel.I spent over three hours working on that, and mom took pictures of the process.I think I almost have the throwing process down.I now just have to work on making sure the clay is not off center and work on bringing the sides up taller.Right now the cylinders I have made are only 4-5.5 inches high and the cylinders have to be at least 6 inches tall.

Sometimes it is so frustrating making the cylinders.But at least Siggy sees that I am practicing and trying to get them made.I know mom says I am too critical about what they look like; but you know me, I am a perfectionist.I think I am close to 30 hours of practice.I have lost count of how many cylinders I have had to throw away because I ruined them while on the wheel, they were crooked, or the lip was over center.

You will be able to see the process of making the cylinders from the pictures mom took.You can see how much fun I am having getting dirty JThe front of that black smock I am wearing is covered in dry clay.It is like being a kid again and playing in the mud puddle.

I do plan on taking vacation during spring break, and working in the ceramics studio in the morning.I am hoping to work in the metals studio in the afternoon.I want to try and make up some more pendants for the jewelry sale in April.Mom and I also ordered wire jewelry making books.I would like to learn how to make some of the bracelets and necklaces that are in the books.Mom wants to try the chain mail.The hope is one day to have our items completely handmade.

On Friday the 20th of February I worked on my lidded cylinder.I had to finish painting the pictures, on the cylinder with slip.I had to put three coats of slip on the cylinder; once I finished, I had to put the cylinder in the back work area to be fired in the kiln.It took me three hours to paint the slip on the cylinder.Once I put one coat of slip on, I had to wait for it to dry before I could put the next layer on.My cylinder has been in the back since that night, and it still has not been fired.Mom was knitting a preemie hat.She also used the Dremmel with a burr cup to finish off the ends of ¾” lengths of sterling silver wire she has cut to make links.

On Saturday the 21st of February, I worked on glazing my cups and textured cylinders.We have to put the glazes on, and then the cups and cylinders are fired.It took me over two hours to glaze three cups and two textured cylinders.I first had to get the bucket of glaze out and stir the glaze with a drill and use a stick to help mix up the glazes.I first had to put the glaze inside the cup and pour it out and then I had to put another color on the outside of the cup or cylinder.I had to wait for the glaze to dry, and then wipe off a ¼ inch of the glaze from the bottom so that when it is fired it won’t stick to the bottom of the kiln.I am still waiting for the cups and cylinders to be fired.Mom was still working with the burr cup on the lengths of wire, and knitting a hat.

On Sunday the 22nd of February I worked on putting my lidded box cylinder together.I had only planned on putting the box together.Well, I ended up constructing the whole box.That took me over three hours to work on.Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures of the construction process. I do have pictures of the box cylinder before I fired it.After constructing the box, I had two and a half extra slabs left over.I kept those slabs in case my box fell apart when fired, and I had to make a new box.I wanted the slabs ready so I didn’t have to wait for the drying out of the clay to make a new box.But since the cylinder was fired on the 2nd of March, and the box didn’t collapse, I can finally get rid of those slabs.Yeah!!!!Mom was still knitting.